Penn and Caltech Become Equity Investors in Coursera as 12 New Institutions Come Aboard

PHILADELPHIA â€“ The University of Pennsylvania and the California Institute of Technology have extended a combined $3.7 million investment to Coursera, with further investment from New Enterprise Associates and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

The new Coursera participants, including three international institutions, will offer more than 100 new courses on topics in the arts, computer sciences, health, mathematics, history, literature and other disciplines. All courses will be free for any individual with a computer and Internet connection to enroll.

â€śWe have been gratified,â€ť Penn Provost Vincent Price said, â€śby the strong response to our first set of courses, which are galvanizing both wide interest among students and exciting new methods of teaching and learning among our faculty. We look forward to working even more closely with Coursera and our university partners to continue to shape the future of online education.â€ť

"We believe that putting courses online for free via Coursera offers tremendous value for students, professors and universities alike," Ng said. "Students have greater access than ever before to the world's foremost subject matter experts. Professors can reach more students in one course than they could have hoped to in a lifetime. Universities can teach millions worldwide, and make time on-campus for interactive in-class learning. This is truly the future of higher education."

During the next few months, new online courses across a range of disciplines will continue to be added to the online platform, from current university partners as well as other top-tier educational institutions.

Celebrating the 100th Hey Day on April 30, members of Pennâ€™s Class of 2016 marched with canes along Locust Walk, wearing red shirts and flat-brimmed, faux-straw hats.
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At a reception on April 23, Penn President Amy Gutmann said a performance by the Pennsylvania Players was the perfect occasion to honor distinguished alumnus and Broadway producer Harold â€śHalâ€ť Prince with a